ORDER V. THE CAKNIVORA. 103 



from tlic oldest Teutonic poems) was that of tlie ^Volfengcn. The first 

 family among the Saxons was the Whoelf, or Guelphic* 



The flACiv^\L {Jacdhis) . — Tiiis group conijirises several species of very 

 voracious animals, which arc found frtim the Indies and the environs of the 

 Caspian Sea as far as Guinea. The jackal is ahout fifteen inches high at 

 the shoulder, has the nuizzlc pointed, eyes small, and whiskers long: it is 

 of a Iniff or yellow color grizzled with white or lirowa hairs, and the tail, 

 which is shorter than that of the fox, is tipped with black. It is a gregari- 

 ous animal, hunts in packs, and has many characteristics which distinguish 

 dogs. It appears to be moved by an instinctive impulse to follow tigers 

 and lions, uttering a peculiar cry, which seems to be a kind <if warning to 

 other animals of a]iproaching danger. The opinion that the jackal attends 

 the lion as a provider or disco\erer of prey is fabulous. These animals have 

 the cunning of the f)x united with the energy of dogs ; when attacked, 

 fight desperately, and when overcome, j)retcnd to be dead. Although Cu- 

 vier speaks of the ficility with which they may be tamed, wc have never 

 yet met with any authentic account of any very considerable success in 

 attempts of this kind. 



They arc nocturnal in their haliits, seek their food in the night, feasting 

 on everything that comes in their way, sometimes even digging into sepul- 

 chres, and devouring the dead bodies the}' contain. They assemble in great 

 numbers, and tiie air resounds with tlieir incessant howling. Their cry, as 

 described by Mr. Bennet, is a melancholy sound, beginning the instant the 

 .sun sets, and continuing till after it has risen. The voice is uttered and 

 responded to bv all within hearing, in a concert of every possible tone, from 

 a short yelp to a prolonged crescendo cry, rising octave above octa\'e in the 

 shrillness, and mingled with dismal winnings, as of a human being in dis- 

 tress. They hide thenisehes in old ruins, or ]>urrow in large i-omnuuiilies. 



The specimen figured on I'late IX. is the ('. unnns of Linnanis. A 

 large red jackal {^C. jirinuevuf:), inhabiting India, is said to resemble the 

 Australian Dingo. 



The Fdx ( Vii/pcs). (See Plate IX.) • — The fox is distinguished from 

 wolves and dogs by a longer and more bushy tail, which reaches to the 

 ground, and is well furnished with long hairs in the form of a cylindrical 

 brush, and by a more pointed muzzle. It emits a very fetid odor ; it has a 

 propensity to burrow, and a nocturnal life. It is an unsociable animal, 

 incapaide of thorough taming, but while young full of \ivacity and playful- 

 ness. It is, besides, shy, cautious, proverbial for cunning, and the acute- 



* Tlie word GiuJpJi, so often niut witli in Eurnpoiin liistory, ami quite recently in refer- 

 ences to Queen Victoria and Prince Alliert, means irolf. The word is pronounced as if it 

 were written ivclf. 



